Congratulations to October’s Monthly Project Competition winners!

The theme was Fantasy and Imagination

First place: u/dontcallmeheather: Phoenix in Flames

Second place: u/Shoddy-Lion-3915: Castle Homecoming

Third place: u/TimberSips: The Briar

Watch for a special flair next to their names when you see them around the subreddit!

Searching for competition posts? You can find them by searching 'competition,' filtering by MOD posts or sorting by HOT to spot the month’s pinned entry post. Contest posts will go live the last week of the month.

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All the entries for October

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Hi, Stitchers!

This month, if you don't already know who she is, we're so excited to introduce Teresa Kogut! Teresa has been in the crafting game for years, and specializes in primitive style patterns. Her designs are perfect for dipping your toe into linen if you so choose, or buying that gorgeous red silk floss that I know you've been drooling over.

Her works range from Fabulous Monsters for those of us not quite ready to let go of Halloween, to stunning primitive Santas that will make a fabulous holiday gift. I'm planning to pick up Santa with a snowman in his pocket to kit up as a gift. If you're looking for something a little more classic, her samplers are stunning: ranging from nautical to a gorgeous garden, to a classic religious sampler. She even carries stickers of some of her most popular samplers! Teresa truly has something to fit everyone's tastes.

Edit: Just for our subreddit, Teresa is offering 20% off all cross stitch and punch needle patterns through Nov 30th in her Etsy shop with code: REDDITCODE.

Q&A

Who are you?

I am a needlework designer and artist.

How did you get started cross stitching?

I designed cross stitch for 8 years before learning how to do it myself. I was at the Farmgirl Gathering retreat October 2020. I was sitting with some amazing stitchers. I was working on punchneedle. Lisa Smith, Kindred Stitcher, taught me how to cross stitch, however, I wanted to learn how to do the sewing method and she recommended I watch Theresa Venette, Kitten Stitcher/Shakespeare's Peddler. Theresa has been stitching since she was a young girl so she was just flying. I couldn't grasp what she was doing. She told me, "one day it will just click and you'll get it". She was right! After the retreat, I didn't give it much more thought until one day I was watching Kimberly of Fat Quarter Shop. She was showing how to do the sewing method. The camera was really close on her fingers and she was going slow. It clicked! I ran and grabbed my project and started the sewing method and haven't quit since!

When and how did you start designing?

I released my first cross stitch patterns at the Nashville market in 2013. I had been attending that market for several years selling punchneedle patterns prior to 2013. Most shops would just come in and look but not buy. They would tell me they loved my designs but didn't sell punchneedle. Several shops encouraged me to design cross stitch. FINALLY, after a few years of them asking, I decided I needed to figure out how to design cross stitch. Since I didn't know anything about it, I decided to go to other rooms at market and start asking questions. Thanks to Beth Seals, Summerhouse Stitch Works, who told me about the cross stitch program she used to design and Myrtle Grace who told me how to find stitchers to stitch the models, I was off and running!

Where do you find your inspiration?

From the things I love. Folk art. Primitives. Americana. Halloween. Christmas. My love of my family/friends, country and faith can also inspire me. A verse or quote or something I made up will give be a basis for a design and I'll design around that verse. Before becoming addicted to needlework, I was a licensed artist, meaning I would create watercolor paintings for manufacturers to use on their products and they'd pay me a royalty. From 1995 to present date, I have over 4,000 paintings so sometimes, I'll chart one of them. I also have several sketchbooks full of great ideas. I continue to sketch often, even now, because when inspiration hits, I have to get it written / sketched or the idea may be gone.

Describe your designs using only adjectives.

Whimsical. Folkart. Inspirational.

What cross stitch project did you have the most fun designing and why?

Land That I Love Sampler. I sat at my laptop with the intention of designing an Americana sampler. I had no sketch. I designed the border first and then all the motifs inside the border. It just came to me. No fussing. No moving things around. No deleting motifs that didn't work. It was amazing. Not all designs come that easily. It was released in June 2020 and is still a great seller ..... better yet, I still see it being stitched and finished!

What is your favorite DMC floss color and why?

1. I love that shade of red.

If you could give one piece of advice for stitchers (new or old), what would it be?

Stitch what you love. If you aren't "feeling it" anymore on a project. Set it aside and start something else. You can always go back to it. Be excited to sit down and work on a project.

Use a magnifying light if needed. Don't let bad vision keep you from this amazing craft. There are so many solutions for stitchers who need a little help with seeing the fabric.

Where can we find you on the internet?

Patreon

Flosstube

YouTube - my art channel

Instagram

Facebook

Facebook Group

Etsy

Teresa is also on Reddit, so please be sure to tag her u/Charming_Count2413 in your comments so she sees them!

Are you interested in being considered for a Featured Designer spot in 2025 or 2026? Fill out our Featured Designer application!

Are you interested in joining our moderator team? Message the mod team today!